


there's something about the light in you

by orphan_account



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Barista!Makoto, Fluff, M/M, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-30
Updated: 2015-01-30
Packaged: 2018-03-09 16:42:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3257060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>—fact: pineapple bring people together—</p><p>In which Makoto is a stressed college student who works part time at the local coffee shop, and Haru is the weird, but attractive customer that stops by every day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	there's something about the light in you

**Author's Note:**

> if you wish for this oneshot to be continued, then just let me know!

**love 0.2** -  _there's something about the light in you_

 **/warnings/** fluff, alternate universe, coffee shop au

* * *

It was really late; going on three in the morning actually. Though despite it being in the early morning, Makoto Tachibana was still up. He was wide awake, but if you looked at him, you'd think he was going to pass out at any given moment. 

They're correct to think so.

Because the brunette  _is_ tired. He's so very  _very_ tired. Everyday he is busy. Busy with work, busy with school, busy with  _life_. Sometimes Makoto would go to sleep with the hope of never waking up again. He always woke up though, not that he expected he wouldn't.

Makoto sighed, glancing at his clock once more before rubbing at his green eyes, as if trying to will away all the exhaustion he was feeling. Sleep was once again hard to come by for some reason. He had gotten home late at ten once his shift at the coffee shop ended, but instead of having the luxury of falling asleep right away, Makoto had to stay up and do some last minute cramming for the exam he was going to have in, ah —one more glance at the clock— five hours.

"Might as well go ahead and get ready..." Makoto groaned to himself before forcing himself to sit up. "...Maybe get more studying done..." It wasn't like he could go to sleep anyway. He just felt too tired to even sleep, which was kind of worrying. Getting up off of his bed, Makoto snatched some clothes from his closet and drawers before going to the bathroom so that he could take a long, hot shower. It'd kill some time, and hopefully relax him a bit.

⋄⋄⋄

By the time his classes started, Makoto was finally feeling tired and ready for some sleep. It was too late for that however, so he was forced to make himself some coffee to bring with him. ' _I should have gotten some at the hop..._ ' Because then he wouldn't have to go through all the trouble of making his coffee. He could just heat it up in his small microwave before heading off to class.

Despite his complete drowsiness, Makoto was able to stay awake throughout all his classes. By the time the afternoon came around, he could actually feel himself awaken a bit more. It was a good thing too...because now he had to go to work.

Makoto works at a local coffee shop that is pretty popular around town. The shop isn't anything large or eloquent, it's actually just like a small and quaint little cafe. The name of the shop is "Brewery", and Makoto works their as a waiter of sorts. He'll sometimes make the orders, but because he hasn't taking the proper training, he doesn't know how to make most of the drinks and therefore can only make the simple recipes.

 Despite his lack of knowledge for coffee-creating, Makoto still loves his job and never lets the simple, mundane tasks get him down. This is a good thing, because otherwise his job wouldn't be as fun as he makes it out to be.

"Good morning, Tachibana-kun~" A cheery, feminine voice chirped to Makoto as soon as he entered the "Brewery". Honoka Mitsuya smiled at him, ceasing her sweeping of the floor in order to give him her full attention. She frowned a little after taking in his full appearance, her brown eyes narrowing. "You're looking as tired as usual, I see." She sighed, tucking some of her bottle-blonde hair behind her ear before resuming her sweeping. "Maybe you should just quit to focus more on your studies..."

Makoto smiled at his coworker, shaking his a head a little as he walked past. "Thank you for your concern, Mitsuya-chan, but I'm fine. Besides, I love this job."

Honoka bit her lip for a moment before replying, "More than your dream to become a swimming coach?"

Makoto stopped in the doorway of the backroom, bowing his head as he did so. "...Of course not." ' _But this job helps me pay for the things my parents can't. They have the twins' future to worry about now. I can do this on my own._ ' Without another word, Makoto continued into the back to put his bag away, and to put on the shop's uniform: an apron, and a simple visor.

Once he exited the room, Honoka was behind the counter and attending to a few customers that had walked in during his absence. "Oi, Makoto!" Aki Tamuro, yet another one of Makoto's coworkers, called him over. The male was in the stockroom, carrying several boxes of what was probably various types of coffee beans. "Come and help me refill the coffee bar, yeah?"

"Of course." Makoto smiled, following Aki to the said bar. Once there, Aki put down the boxes before ripping them open to give him and Makoto access to the strong smelling coffee beans inside. Immediately, the two went to work and began to refill the containers of beans that were laying out.

"Wow, thanks man. That didn't take as long as I thought it would. You mind putting these boxes back in the stockroom for me? I  _really_ gotta take a piss."

Makoto nodded quickly, his face slightly coloring at Aki's choice of words. "A y-yes! Sure!"

Aki laughed, patting Makoto on the back. "Oh Makoto, you're so innocent— Hey, look who it is!" Aki stopped mid-sentence to peer over his shoulder with a laugh. "It's the Pineapple Guy!"

Makoto looked to the entrance and saw who Aki dubbed as the 'Pineapple Guy'. In truth, the young man looked nothing like a pineapple. He's actually really attractive, something Makoto admitted when Honoka had pointed it out one day. Of course this resulted in endless teasing from the both of his coworkers, but Makoto couldn't help that this mysterious 'Pineapple Guy' was indeed good-looking. He had a stoic, and aloof air around him, but for some reason, Makoto couldn't help but feel like there was  _more_ to him than that. Excluding his weird tendency to put pineapple juice in his plain, black coffee.

Aki nudged Makoto in the side, seeing as the brunette was a bit too tall for him to nudge in the shoulders. "Hey, why don't you go and see what he wants —even though we  _all_ know his order by now— I can take care of these boxes real quick. My bladder can wait." Aki winked, "Your love life is  _way_ more important, dude."

"L-Love life!?" Makoto stuttered, his face reddening. "N-No! You've got it all wrong, I don't—" He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I don't  _like_ him like that!"

 Makoto's words were ignored, because soon the poor brunette was being pushed towards the front counter.

Pineapple Guy stood patiently in front of the counter, his blue eyes roaming across the menu that was hanging up on the wall behind the counter. Makoto noticed that the black-haired man did this every time he visited, and wondered if he was expecting to see something new up there. "U-Um, what can I get for you, sir?" Makoto asked, standing stock straight as he awaited Pineapple Guy's reply.

He felt like a wreck right now, not liking how Pineapple Guy continued to stare at him, seeming to be picking him apart  _slowly_ : piece by piece. After what seemed like ages, the young man finally spoke him. "Coffee. Plain black, please."

"Okay, I'll get that for you then!" The brunette said, surprised he hadn't began to stutter again. "Please take a seat while I prepare your order." Makoto gave Pineapple Guy a small, frantic bow before quickly leaving to pour a freshly brewed pot of coffee in one of the shop's cups. He passed by Honoka, who was carrying two orders for the other customers in her hands, along the way. She winked slyly at him, and he swore he heard Aki snickering to himself from the stockroom. His coworkers teasing did nothing to calm his nerves, nor did it lessen the redness of his skin.

After pouring a cup of plain, black coffee for the intriguing customer —nearly spilling the pot several times— Makoto tried his best to calmly walk over to the man's table. "A-Ah, here you, sir! Please enjoy!" He hastily bowed once again before scurrying away, not wanting to be under the noirette's blank stare any longer. He was afraid. Afraid that he'd annoy the attractive man, or that he'd make him hate him. And for some reason, Makoto didn't want this man —this complete stranger— to think ill of him.

Returning to the counter, Makoto tried to subtly watch Pineapple Guy from where he sat in the corner of the shop. The brunette often did this whenever the odd man arrived, even when it had been someone else to serve him his coffee. Makoto would always stop what he was doing to observe the dark-haired with much interest. He'd always do the same thing after receiving his coffee: first, he would place his hand over the cup of coffee, leaving his hand to hover over the liquid the cup —testing the temperature. Then, he'd begin to dig through the bag he'd always have with, looking for that one little thing that had inspired his name: pineapple juice.

Pineapple Guy pulled out a small bottle that had a small picture of a pineapple on the label, as well as the words 'Pineapple Juice'. He'd then unscrew the top before dumping half of it's contents inside. After that, he'd stir the coffee before tentatively giving it a small sip. If he was satisfied, an amazing,  _beautiful_ look would cross through his eyes, but if he wasn't, he'd scowl and use the rest of the pineapple juice he had brought with him before trying the coffee again.

Makoto loved his routine. It was the only thing he wouldn't mind seeing on repeat.

* * *

"...Name."

Makoto jumped, nearly spilling Pineapple Guy's black coffee all over him. Fortunately, Makoto retained from doing so, and gently placed the hot cup on the noirette's table. "U-Um, what was that?" Makoto questioned, absently wiping his hands on his apron.

Pineapple blinked slowly, his blue eyes boring into Makoto's green ones. "Your name." He repeated. "What is your name?"

Makoto's mouth opened, and his eyes widened. "O-Oh! I'm Tachibana Makoto, s-sir." He bowed slightly in his embarrassment, honestly not expecting this attractive stranger to ask him that.

"...Nanase Haruka."

It wasn't hard to figure out that that was the customer's name. Makoto nodded with a smile on his face. "Haruka-san, then?" When Haruka's eyes narrowed in discomfort, Makoto quickly blubbered upon realizing his mistake, "I-I mean, Nanase—"

"Call me 'Haru'."

' _Oh._ ' Well Makoto honestly hadn't expected that. He was sure he was about to receive a tongue-lashing for using the male's first name so suddenly. "Yes..." He trailed, still a bit mystified with the man in front of him. "I'll—" He shook himself, retaining his sense of reality, "—I'll leave you to your coffee then, sir- I mean Haru!" He laughed sheepishly before walking back to the front counter, his steps more quick than usual.

As Makoto awaited for Haru to finish his coffee so that he could come and pay for his drink, the brunette couldn't help but feel like his two coworkers were laughing at him from where ever they were...

⋄⋄⋄

 Ever since they learned each other's names, Makoto and Haru seemed to interact more and more with each passing day. Sometimes Haru would even ask the brunette to sit with him as he drank his pineapple juice-filled coffee.

"Ah, Haru... I've been meaning to ask," Makoto began one day, watching as Haru poured fruit juice in his coffee once again. "Why do you put pineapple juice in your coffee?"

Haru glanced at Makoto, stirring the juice into his coffee as he did so. He shrugged, "Just tastes better," He brought the beverage up to his lips, sipping from it before placing it back down. "And you don't have pineapple juice on your menu, so I bring my own."

Makoto's eyes widened a bit when he realized that, "Ah you're right!" He wilted a bit then, giving Haru an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry you have to go through all that trouble in order to enjoy your coffee..."

The noirette shrugged once again, not seeming to mind but appreciating Makoto's sincere apology nevertheless. "It's fine."

"Haru?"

"Hn."

"Why do you come to the Brewery for your coffee? Can't you just make it at home?"

Haru remained silent, picking up his cup of joe to hide his heating face in it. "...I like Makoto's coffee better..."

"Wha— I-I—  _Haru_!" Makoto was resorted to a bubbling mass of brown hair and green eyes, his face changing to the color red before he hid behind his hands.

Haru smirked to himself, keeping his eyes on the waiter beside him.

⋄⋄⋄

A week had passed since that  _extremely_ embarrassing conversation with Haru, and Makoto had finally received his paycheck; he knew exactly what he was going to use it on.

Makoto returned to work on Monday, a smile on his face as he entered the coffee shop with a box in his hands. Honoka eyed the box strangely, waving to her coworker, "Good morning, Tachibana-kun~ May I ask what's in the box?"

"Just some stock we're adding to the inventory. I'll be supplying it, so don't worry about it." Makoto replied easily, heading towards the backroom so he could change.

"Are you even allowed to do that?" Honoka called after him, a frown on her face. "It'd be horrible if you got fired!"

Makoto merely shrugged, though he was a bit nervous to what would happen if their manager found out about the sudden new condiment in the stockroom. "I'll worry about it latter..." He tried to assure. Makoto slipped his apron and visor on before taking the box he had been carrying to the stockroom. He cleared a place on one of the shelves, and began to unload the contents within the box.

As Makoto reached for the last bottle of pineapple juice, he smiled before placing it into one of his apron's pockets. He walked out of the stockroom and took Honoka's place at the front counter. Not a second later, Haruka walked into the coffee shop, looking as ethereal as he usually did. "Good afternoon, Nanase-san!" Makoto heard Honoka greet the customer.

Haru looked to the back of the Brewery, nodding to Honoka before continuing his trek to the front counter. Makoto smiled, already getting to work on Haru's usual. "Good afternoon, Haru!" The expression on his face could have healed the blind with it's warmth, and Haru found himself speechless.

It took a few moments before he could reply, clearing his throat as he did so, with a frown on his face. "Good afternoon, Makoto..."

Said male smiled cheerily once more, handing over Haru's coffee and absently following the said noirette to a table. The two males sat down, and before Haru could rummage through his bag, Makoto stopped him by placing a hand on his arm. "I wanted to tell you something," Haru raised an eyebrow in confusion, prompting Makoto to dig through his apron's pockets. He pulled out the small bottle of pineapple juice, and Haru's eyes widened as he watched Makoto mix it in with his coffee. "Pineapple juice has been added to the menu."

Haru felt his heart skip a beat, and could feel his face heating up by the minute. "I..." He began, nearly choking on his voice. So many emotions were running through him, and it was apparent that he's never felt this happy before. "...Thank you."

Makoto just smiled; a smile that Haru found he liked. It was a smile that could light up an entire room.

**Author's Note:**

>  **prompt two** \- _light_
> 
> thank you for reading, please comment your thoughts below and tell me what you think. or a simple kudos would be nice.


End file.
